Drew McIntyre Says He Wanted To Be Like AJ Styles When He First Started Wrestling
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre recently spoke to Vicente Beltran from ViBe & Wrestling. During the interview, he discussed his evolution from heel to face in a short time.
"The point when people started kind of cheering because I wasn't doing anything in particular, that would be what a good guy would generally do," McIntyre explained. There was no particular moment where, you know, when a good guy helps or saves the girl from the tracks.
"It was just like I started showing a little more of myself on the microphone and people started responding because in real life, you know, I'm not a serious guy that I was for a while. I can be serious, very serious, but there's a lot more to me. I'm silly and sarcastic. I like to have a good time, but in the end, when I get in the ring, everybody knows Drew McIntyre kicks butts, and I noticed that people started to cheer."
McIntyre remembers a match with No Way Jose at Madison Square Garden where he entered as a heel but got a face reaction. He says that was the start of him transitioning to a face.
"A few months before the Royal Rumble, I remember one in particular that stands out to me is at Madison Square Garden," McIntyre recalled. "I walked out, and I think you can tell a lot about how The Garden reacts to a Superstar. I walked out, and I was against No Way Jose if I remember, and I think I was out first and just the way people reacted.
"I got to the ring, looking around. Jose made his entrance. They were still kind of quiet during his entrance which was unusual because it's such an entertaining entrance. That's really weird because the reaction of the fans was very bizarre, but it's very telling how The Garden reacts. It's like they're ahead of the curve.
"Then as the weeks passed, then I started showing more of my personality and the rest of the fans around America and around the world, I could see, on social media started responding at the same. Go down all the way to up to Brock out there on the Rumble, and I think that's when things really switch from bad to good."
McIntyre was then asked about possible challengers for his title. He also gave praise to AJ Styles and talked about how their paths have never crossed for a singles match.
"Well, so many times, people mentioned, referred names like Randy [Orton], and Edge so far. Jinder, I want to make him to go on a winning streak first before we even consider it," McIntyre said. "Somebody that's not there right now. Hopefully, he can dig himself out from the ground is AJ Styles is somebody that's certainly up there. He's a performer that, you know, he's one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time.
"When I first started training, when I was 15, he was like on top of the independent world, and I used to study his tapes like crazy. I was like man, I'm going to be like AJ Styles, and then I kept getting taller and kept getting bigger. And I was like OK, I'm not going to be like AJ Styles, but he's really cool to watch.
"Then i was in WWE for years. He was obviously outside the company, and he came to WWE. Then i was outside the company, with the same company he was with, and then I came back to WWE. We're both on different shows, so we kept being like passing ships in the night. We never really had that opportunity to have a singles match, and we made a triple threat one time with himself, myself and Randy Orton, which the match was awesome. And I know if myself and AJ got the chance to go out there, not only would it be like awesome story-wise but obviously, the matches would be phenomenal."
You can listen to the interview in the video above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ViBe & Wrestling with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.